Devices for detecting organ contents using impedance and methods of using the same to provide various therapies

ABSTRACT

Devices for detecting organ contents using impedance and methods of using the same to provide various therapies. In an exemplary embodiment of a device for detecting organ contents of the present disclosure, the device comprises a body having a detector coupled thereto, the device configured for placement at or near an outside of an organ and operable to detect contents on an inside of the organ using impedance.

PRIORITY

The present application is related to, and claims the priority benefitof, U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 61/601,608 filed Feb.22, 2012, the contents of which are hereby incorporated by reference intheir entirety into this disclosure.

BACKGROUND

Current technologies used to detect ingestion of food and drink within astomach involve the placement of some sort of device or sensor withinthe stomach itself to detect temperature. If a person using such adevice drinks a cold beverage, for example, the device would detect adecrease in temperature, which would then increase in a matter ofseconds due to the warming of the beverage within the person's stomach.While such devices may work to detect initial temperature changes, suchdevices are placed by puncturing the stomach, which is traumatic and canlead to surgical and other complications. Furthermore, and over time,stomach acids can corrode the device or sensor itself, causing it tofail over time and potentially releasing harmful chemical byproducts dueto the reaction of metallic componentry, for example.

As such, it would be beneficial to have a non-invasive device, system,and method for detecting contents of an organ and to be able to use thesame to detect certain types of contents from one another that does nothave the aforementioned shortcomings.

BRIEF SUMMARY

In an exemplary embodiment of a device for detecting organ contents ofthe present disclosure, the device comprises a body having a detectorcoupled thereto, the device configured for placement at or near anoutside of an organ and operable to detect contents on an inside of theorgan using impedance. In another embodiment, the body is elongated. Inyet another embodiment, the body is configured as a patch. In anadditional embodiment, the detector comprises at least four electrodes.In yet an additional embodiment, the detector comprises a pair ofdetection electrodes positioned in between a pair of excitationelectrodes.

In an exemplary embodiment of a device for detecting organ contents ofthe present disclosure, the pair of excitation electrodes are spacedapart from one another sufficient to generate a field that extends tothe inside of the organ. In an additional embodiment, the pair ofdetection electrodes is capable of detecting the field generated by thepair of excitation electrodes. In yet an additional embodiment, thedetector is operable to detect whether or not the inside of the organhas a liquid content therein. In another embodiment, the detector isoperable to detect changes in an amount of the liquid content inside ofthe organ.

In an exemplary embodiment of a device for detecting organ contents ofthe present disclosure, the detector is operable to detect whether ornot the inside of the organ has a solid content therein. In anotherembodiment, the detector is operable to detect changes in an amount ofthe solid content inside of the organ. In yet another embodiment, thedevice further comprises an adhesive pad coupled to the body, theadhesive pad configured to secure the device to the outside of theorgan. In an additional embodiment, the device further comprises atleast one suture aperture defined within the body, the at least onesuture aperture sized and shaped to receive at least one suturetherethrough to secure the device to the outside of the organ. In yet anadditional embodiment, the body has at least one rounded portion.

In an exemplary embodiment of a device for detecting organ contents ofthe present disclosure, the device further comprises at least onedetector aperture defined within the body, the at least one detectoraperture sized and shaped to minimize interference that would compromisedata obtained by the detector. In an additional embodiment, the devicefurther comprises at least one tab extending from the body. In yet anadditional embodiment, the device further comprises at least one sutureaperture defined within the at least one tab, the at least one sutureaperture sized and shaped to receive at least one suture therethrough tosecure the device to the outside of the organ. In another embodiment,the device further comprises a first suture aperture defined within theat least one tab, and a second suture aperture defined within the body,the at least one suture aperture sized and shaped to receive at leastone suture therethrough to secure the device to the outside of theorgan.

In an exemplary embodiment of a device for detecting organ contents ofthe present disclosure, the device further comprises a power sourceoperably connected to the detector, the power source configured toprovide power to the detector so to operate the detector. In anotherembodiment, the power source is coupled to the body of the device. Inyet another embodiment, the power source is positioned within apatient's body when the device is positioned at or near the outside ofthe organ of the patient within the patient's body. In an additionalembodiment, the power source is positioned outside of a patient's bodywhen the device is positioned at or near the outside of the organ of thepatient within the patient's body.

In an exemplary embodiment of a device for detecting organ contents ofthe present disclosure, the device further comprises an internal memoryoperably connected to the detector, the internal memory operable tostore conductance data obtained by the detector. In an additionalembodiment, the device further comprises a transmitter operablyconnected to the detector, the transmitter operable to transmitconductance data from the detector to an external system. In yet anadditional embodiment, when the device is device is positioned at ornear the outside of the organ of the patient within the patient's body,the device is operable to transmit conductance data obtained by thedetector to a data acquisition and processing system.

In an exemplary embodiment of a device for detecting organ contents ofthe present disclosure, the data acquisition and processing system isdirectly coupled to the device. In another embodiment, the dataacquisition and processing system is positioned within the patient'sbody when the device is positioned within the patient's body. In yetanother embodiment, the data acquisition and processing system ispositioned outside of the patient's body when the device is positionedwithin the patient's body. In an additional embodiment, the dataacquisition and processing system is in wireless communication with thedevice.

In an exemplary embodiment of a method for using a device of the presentdisclosure, the method comprises the steps of positioning a device at ornear an outside of an organ of a patient within the patient's body, thedevice comprising a body having a detector coupled thereto, the deviceoperable to detect contents on an inside of the organ using impedance,and operating the device to detect contents on the inside of the organ.In another embodiment, the positioning step is performedlaparoscopically. In yet another embodiment, the operating step isperformed by activating the detector to obtain conductance data, theconductance data indicative of the contents on the inside of the organ.In an additional embodiment, the operating step yields conductance datafrom the detector, the conductance data indicative of a liquid contenton the inside of the organ. In yet an additional embodiment, theoperating step yields conductance data from the detector, theconductance data indicative of a change in an amount of a liquid contenton the inside of the organ.

In an exemplary embodiment of a method for using a device of the presentdisclosure, the operating step yields conductance data from thedetector, the conductance data indicative of a solid content on theinside of the organ. In an additional embodiment, the operating stepyields conductance data from the detector, the conductance dataindicative of a change in an amount of a solid content on the inside ofthe organ. In yet an additional embodiment, the positioning step isperformed to position the device at or near the outside of an organselected from the group consisting of a stomach, an intestine, abladder, a lung, and a heart. In another embodiment, the operating stepyields conductance data from the detector, the conductance dataindicative of a change in an amount of a liquid content on the inside ofthe organ.

In an exemplary embodiment of a method for using a device of the presentdisclosure, the method further comprises the step of administering atherapy to the patient based upon the contents detected on the inside ofthe organ. In another embodiment, the step of positioning a device isperformed by positioning the device at or near the outside of thepatient's stomach, and wherein the step of administering a therapy isperformed to assist the patient with weight loss. In yet anotherembodiment, the step of positioning a device is performed by positioningthe device at or near the outside of the patient's stomach, and whereinthe step of administering a therapy is performed to assist the patientwith appetite control. In an additional embodiment, the step ofpositioning a device is performed by positioning the device at or nearthe outside of the patient's lungs, and wherein the step ofadministering a therapy is performed to treat an instance of fluidretention within lungs of the patient.

In an exemplary embodiment of a method for using a device of the presentdisclosure, the step of positioning a device is performed by positioningthe device at or near the outside of the patient's intestines, andwherein the step of administering a therapy is performed to assist thepatient with digestion. In an additional embodiment, the step ofpositioning a device is performed by positioning the device at or nearthe outside of the patient's intestines, and wherein the step ofadministering a therapy is performed to assist the patient withexcretion. In yet an additional embodiment, the step of positioning adevice is performed by positioning the device at or near the outside ofthe patient's bladder, and wherein the step of administering a therapyis performed to assist the patient with urination. In anotherembodiment, the step of positioning a device is performed by positioningthe device at or near the outside of the patient's bladder, and whereinthe step of administering a therapy is performed to treat a urinarydisorder of the patient. In yet another embodiment, the step ofpositioning a device is performed by positioning the device at or nearthe outside of the patient's heart, and wherein the step ofadministering a therapy is performed to treat a cardiac disorder of thepatient.

In an exemplary embodiment of a system for detecting organ contents ofthe present disclosure, the system comprises an exemplary device of thepresent disclosure and an exemplary external system of the presentdisclosure.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The disclosed embodiments and other features, advantages, anddisclosures contained herein, and the matter of attaining them, willbecome apparent and the present disclosure will be better understood byreference to the following description of various exemplary embodimentsof the present disclosure taken in conjunction with the accompanyingdrawings, wherein:

FIG. 1A shows a top view of a device for detecting organ contents,according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 1B shows a side view of a device for detecting organ contents,according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 1C shows a top view of a device for detecting organ contents havingsuture apertures defined therein, according to an exemplary embodimentof the present disclosure;

FIG. 1D shows a top view of a device for detecting organ contents havingtwo tabs and detector apertures defined therein, according to anexemplary embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 2 shows a device for detecting organ contents positioned upon orrelative to a stomach and operating to generate a field, according to anexemplary embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 3A shows a block diagram of components of a device for detectingorgan contents, according to an exemplary embodiment of the presentdisclosure;

FIG. 3B shows a block diagram of a device for detecting organ contentscoupled to a power source, according to an exemplary embodiment of thepresent disclosure; and

FIG. 3C shows a block diagram of a device for detecting organ contentscoupled to a data acquisition and processing system, according to anexemplary embodiment of the present disclosure.

An overview of the features, functions and/or configurations of thecomponents depicted in the various figures will now be presented. Itshould be appreciated that not all of the features of the components ofthe figures are necessarily described. Some of these non-discussedfeatures, such as various couplers, etc., as well as discussed featuresare inherent from the figures themselves. Other non-discussed featuresmay be inherent in component geometry and/or configuration.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

For the purposes of promoting an understanding of the principles of thepresent disclosure, reference will now be made to the embodimentsillustrated in the drawings, and specific language will be used todescribe the same. It will nevertheless be understood that no limitationof the scope of this disclosure is thereby intended.

An exemplary device for detecting organ contents of the presentdisclosure is shown in FIG. 1A. As shown in the top view of an exemplarydevice 100 shown in FIG. 1, device 100 comprises a body 102 having adetector 104 coupled thereto. Body 102, in various embodiments, can beelongated, have a patch configuration, or some other configurationsuitable to allow detector 104 to be coupled thereto.

Detector 104, in at least one embodiment and as shown in FIG. 1A, canitself comprise a tetrapolar arrangement of electrodes with electrodespacings suitable to allow conductance measurements to be made through awall of an organ 200, as shown in FIG. 2. For example, and as shown inFIG. 1A, an exemplary detector may comprise two detection electrodes106, 108 positioned in between two excitation electrodes 110, 112,whereby detection electrodes 106, 108 can detect a field generated byexcitation electrodes 110, 112.

Given the position of device 100 relative to an organ 200 (and on theoutside of organ 200 as discussed in further detail herein) and thespacings of the electrodes 106, 108, 110, 112 of detector 104, detector104 can identify differences in the content of organ 200 over time. Forexample, an exemplary device 100 of the present disclosure can detectthe difference between an empty (or relatively empty) stomach (anexemplary organ 200) and a stomach that has contents therein. In atleast one embodiment, device 100 can distinguish between stomachcontents, such as whether or not a stomach has a liquid content or asolid content. In another embodiment, device 100 can detect changes inthe amount of a liquid content or a solid content over time.

FIG. 1B shows a side view of another exemplary embodiment of a device100 of the present disclosure. As shown in FIG. 1B, device 100 comprisesa body 102 (which is shown as being elongated, but can be any number ofother configurations) and a detector 104 coupled thereto. The embodimentshown in FIG. 1B also shows a material 114 coupled thereto, such as anadhesive pad, to facilitate placement of device 100 on the outside of astomach (or other organ 200).

FIGS. 1C and 1D show other embodiments of devices 100 of the presentdisclosure. As shown in FIG. 1C, an exemplary device 100 of the presentdisclosure comprises a body 102 that is not as elongated as theembodiment shown in FIG. 1A, and having a general patch configuration.Detection electrodes 106, 108 are shown positioned within excitationelectrodes 110, 112, and body 102 has a plurality of suture apertures116 defined therein to allow one or more sutures 202, as shown in FIG.2, to be used to secure device 100 to organ 200. Sutures 202 can bepositioned directly through body 102 of device 100 (whereby the userpositioning device 100 forces sutures 202 through body, such as with theuse of a needle), and/or sutures 202 can be positioned through one ormore suture apertures 116 defined within body 100 as shown in FIG. 2. Soto minimize the potential of trauma to organ 200, body 102 can have arelatively straight and/or rounded configuration, as shown in FIG. 1C,so that no sharp corners exist that could cause damage to organ 200.

The exemplary embodiment of device 100 shown in FIG. 1D has some similarfeatures to the embodiment shown in FIG. 1C and described above, but hasa number of different features as well. As shown in FIG. 1D, device 100comprises a body 102 also having a patch configuration, a plurality ofsuture apertures 116 defined therein, and a pair of detection electrodes106, 108 positioned in between a pair of excitation electrodes 110, 112.However, and unlike the embodiment shown in FIG. 1C, the device 100embodiment shown in FIG. 1D comprises a pair of detector apertures 118on either side of the effective detector (electrodes 106, 108, 110,112). Detector apertures 118, in at least one embodiment, are definedwithin body 102 so to potentially minimize interference caused by body102 when device 100 is operated as desired. In addition to theforegoing, device 100 comprises tabs 120 having suture apertures 116defined therein, whereby tabs 120 offer an interventionalist placingdevice 100 within a patient added flexibility with respect to suturingor otherwise affixing device 100 to an organ 200 of interest.

FIG. 2 shows an exemplary device 100 of the present disclosurepositioned externally upon a stomach. Such a placement, which can bemade so that device 100 touches the stomach directly, so that device 100contacts a material 114 (such as an adhesive pad, as discussed infurther detail herein) that touches the stomach, or so that device 100is positioned relative to, but does not actually touch, the outside of astomach, would be made depending on the device 100 embodiment so thatdevice 100 can operate as intended. When properly placed/positioned,device 100 can be operated to create a field 204 (using excitationelectrodes 106, 108) useful to detect organ 200 contents or changes inorgan 200 contents over time (using detection electrodes 110, 112).

Such an exemplary device 100, as well as other embodiments of devices100 of the present disclosure, may be configured so that they can besecurely positioned external to an organ 200. For example, and asintroduced above, an adhesive pad (an exemplary material 114 of thepresent disclosure) could be positioned between device 100 and organ 200to secure device 100 to organ 200. In another embodiment, no adhesivepad may be used, but instead an adhesive (another exemplary material114) could be placed on one or both of device 100 and/or organ 200 tosecure device 100 to organ.

FIGS. 3A and 3B show block diagrams of selected components of exemplarydevices 100 of the present disclosure. For example, and as shown in FIG.3A, an exemplary device 100 of the present disclosure includes adetector 104 and a power source 300, such as a battery, coupled directlyto body 102 of device 100. Power sources 300, in various embodiments,are used to provide power to device 100 to operate certain electrodes106, 108, 110, and/or 112, and potentially to transmit data to aninternal memory 302 and/or to an external system in wired or wirelesscommunication with device 100. In addition, and as shown in FIG. 3A, anexemplary device 100 of the present disclosure can comprise atransmitter 304 to transmit conductance data to an external system (suchas an external data acquisition and processing system 350 shown in FIG.3C), whereby transmitter 304 operates wirelessly or via wire 306 coupledto external system 350 or a component thereof. Several other wiresand/or connectors (not shown) may be used with various device 100embodiments to connect to electrodes 106, 108, 110, and/or 112, powersource 300, memory 302, transmitter 304, and/or various other componentsof device 100.

In at least another embodiment, and as shown in FIG. 3B, device 100comprises a detector 104 and has a wired connection via power wire 308to a power source 300 not directly coupled to body 104 of device 100. Insuch an embodiment, power source 300 may be positioned external to theuser's body. In various embodiments, power sources 300 may comprisesingle-use batteries, rechargeable batteries, and/or other power sourcesknown and used in the medical arts.

As shown in FIG. 3C and as initially referenced above, an exemplarydevice 100 of the present disclosure may be used with a wired (using awire 352) or wireless connection to and from an external system 350,such as a data acquisition and processing system. In at least oneembodiment, external system 350 comprises a processor 354 operable tooperate electrodes 106, 108, 110, and/or 112 of device 100, receiveconductance data therefrom, and process said data so that a user ofdevice 100 is aware of device 100 operation in potential connection withone or more therapies to control or otherwise moderate or monitoringestion of food and/or drink. As referenced herein, any number ofdevice 100 embodiments may comprise any number of device componentsreferenced herein so to generate an operable device 100.

In at least one exemplary embodiment of a system 380 of the presentdisclosure, and as shown in FIG. 3C, system 380 comprises an exemplarydevice 100 of the present disclosure and an exemplary external system350 of the present disclosure. In various other embodiments, systems 380may also include any number of other components of a device 100 of thepresent disclosure, as well as a power wire 308, a wire 352, and/or anynumber of other connectors.

Use of an exemplary device 100 of the present disclosure to detectstomach contents and/or changes thereto have a number of advantages ascompared to other devices used or attempted to be used in the medicalarts. First, and by either affixing an exemplary device 100 to a stomachor placing it in proximity to the stomach, device 100 can be operated tosense eating (the presence of fluid and/or solid food in the stomach)using impedance, without needing to penetrate the stomach wall or bepositioned within the stomach. If the spacings of excitation electrodes110, 112 sufficient so to generate a large field and to allow sensing ofa large volume conductance by detection electrodes 106, 108, conductancemeasurements can allow monitoring of the stomach inputs.

Advantages to this approach include less overall trauma to the patient,as there is no need to penetrate the gastric wall. As device 100 is notpositioned inside the stomach or within the stomach wall, there is norisk of device 100 corrosion (of the electrodes in particular), notingthat other devices, such as those using thermistors within the stomachand relying on temperature changes to detect stomach content changes,are at risk of corrosion due to the acidic/corrosive nature of thestomach. In addition, conductance changes are much larger in amplitudethan temperature differences, as an empty or relatively empty stomachwith air will have nearly no conductivity. As such, it is easier todetect and analyze ingestion of food and/or drink as a trigger forinitiation and ending of various therapies and ingestion pacing.Further, using conductance will allow for the differentiation betweensolid food, fluid, and air as they all have different electricalconductivity. Temperature measurements, on the other hand, do notdiscriminate between solid food, fluid, and air.

In addition, and by using conductance, the duration of the signal willlast significantly longer given that food or liquid that changes theconductance will stay in the stomach longer, whereas temperature willequilibrate to body temperature relatively quickly (within seconds).This added flexibility with respect to detection allows for a greaterdegree of therapy to be made in proportion to the sustained degree ofconductance change (i.e., the amount of food ingested) which cannot bedone with temperature because it dissipates quickly (while conductancemeasurements are cumulative). Furthermore, the degree of therapy pacingcan also be made to coincide with the sustained elevation ofconductance. In various embodiments, it would be seamless to the sensingwith the therapy delivery (given that this and pacing are bothelectrical), similar to an implantable cardioverter-defibrillator (ICD),which involves sensing of heart rate/rhythm with pacing therapy.

In at least one embodiment of a method for using a device 100 of thepresent disclosure, the method comprises the steps of positioning device100 at or near an outside of an organ 200 of a patient within thepatient's body, device 100 comprising a body 102 having a detector 104coupled thereto, wherein device 100 is operable to detect contents on aninside of organ 200 using impedance, and operating device 100 to detectcontents on the inside of organ 200. Device 100 may be positionedlaparoscopically or via any number of surgical procedures. Detector 104,as referenced herein, can be activated to obtain conductance data, whichis indicative of the contents on the inside of the organ. Such data canbe indicative of a liquid content on the inside of organ 200, indicativeof a change in an amount of a liquid content on the inside of organ 200,indicative of a solid content on the inside of organ 200, or indicativeof a change in an amount of a solid content on the inside of organ 200,for example.

Device 100 can be positioned at or near the outside of any number ofluminal organs, such as the stomach, intestine, bladder, lung, heart,blood vessels, and the like. Depending on the organ 200 being monitored,various types of therapies can be administered to the patient based uponthe contents detected on the inside of organ 20. For example, if device100 is positioned at or near the outside of the patient's stomach, thetherapy that may be performed may be done so to assist the patient withweight loss and/or appetite control. If device 200 is positioned at ornear the outside of the patient's lungs, the therapy that may beperformed may be done so to treat the patient with an instance of fluidretention within his or her lungs.

Device 100 may be used with other organs 200 as well. For example,device 200 can be used to monitor intestine contents, with data usefulto treat or assist a patient with digestion and/or excretion. Forexample, and regarding potential instances of rectal incontinence,device 200 could detect the presence of waste (feces) in the intestines,and a therapy (such as a sphincter opening therapy) could be used tofacilitate the excretory process to relieve problems associated withrectal incontinence. Use of device 200 at or near a patient's bladdercould be useful to obtain data to treat a urinary disorder of thepatient, including potential problems with urination. For example, andregarding potential instances of urinary incontinence, device 200 coulddetect the presence of urine within the bladder, and a therapy (such asa sphincter opening therapy) could be used to facilitate the excretoryprocess to relieve problems associated with urinary incontinence. Inaddition, and if device 200 is used in connection with a patient'sheart, the data could be useful to treat a cardiac disorder of thepatient. This list of organs and discussion regarding the same is notintended to be exhaustive, as various devices 100 of the presentdisclosure could be used in connection with other luminal organs.

While various embodiments of devices for detecting organ contents andmethods of using the same have been described in considerable detailherein, the embodiments are merely offered as non-limiting examples ofthe disclosure described herein. It will therefore be understood thatvarious changes and modifications may be made, and equivalents may besubstituted for elements thereof, without departing from the scope ofthe present disclosure. The present disclosure is not intended to beexhaustive or limiting with respect to the content thereof.

Further, in describing representative embodiments, the presentdisclosure may have presented a method and/or a process as a particularsequence of steps. However, to the extent that the method or processdoes not rely on the particular order of steps set forth therein, themethod or process should not be limited to the particular sequence ofsteps described, as other sequences of steps may be possible. Therefore,the particular order of the steps disclosed herein should not beconstrued as limitations of the present disclosure. In addition,disclosure directed to a method and/or process should not be limited tothe performance of their steps in the order written. Such sequences maybe varied and still remain within the scope of the present disclosure.

The invention claimed is:
 1. A device for detecting organ contents, thedevice comprising: a body having a detector coupled directly to thebody, and at least one detector aperture defined within the body and theat least one detector aperture positioned outside and immediatelyadjacent the detector, the detector comprising a pair of detectionelectrodes and a pair of excitation electrodes and the at least onedetector aperture sized and shaped to minimize interference that wouldcompromise data obtained by the detector, the at least one detectoraperture extending a length from a start of one electrode of the pair ofdetection electrodes or the pair of excitation electrodes to a start ofanother electrode of the pair of detection electrodes or the pair ofexcitation electrodes; the body configured for external placement at ornear an outside of an organ, but not within or surrounding the organ orwithin a lumen thereof, and the detector configured to both detect apresence or absence of contents within the lumen of the organ usingimpedance and to distinguish between any contents detected over timebased on conductance data by obtaining first conductance data when solidcontents are within the lumen, by obtaining second conductance data whenliquid contents are within the lumen, and identifying a differencebetween the first conductance data and the second conductance data. 2.The device of claim 1, wherein the body is configured as a patch and theorgan is selected from a group consisting of a stomach, an intestine, abladder, and a lung.
 3. The device of claim 1, wherein the detectionelectrodes of the detector are positioned on the body in between thepair of excitation electrodes of the detector.
 4. The device of claim 3,wherein the pair of excitation electrodes are spaced apart from oneanother sufficient to generate a field that extends to an inside of theorgan.
 5. The device of claim 4, wherein the pair of detectionelectrodes is capable of detecting the field generated by the pair ofexcitation electrodes.
 6. The device of claim 1, wherein the detector isoperable to detect whether or not an inside of the organ has a liquidcontent therein.
 7. The device of claim 6, wherein the detector isoperable to detect changes in an amount of the liquid content inside ofthe organ.
 8. The device of claim 1, wherein the detector is operable todetect whether or not an inside of the organ has a solid contenttherein.
 9. The device of claim 8, wherein the detector is operable todetect changes in an amount of the solid content inside of the organ.10. The device of claim 1, further comprising: an adhesive pad coupledto the body, the adhesive pad configured to secure the device to theoutside of the organ.
 11. The device of claim 1, further comprising: atleast one suture aperture defined within the body, the at least onesuture aperture sized and shaped to receive at least one suturetherethrough to secure the device to the outside of the organ.
 12. Thedevice of claim 1, further comprising: a power source coupled directlyto the body and operably connected to the detector, the power sourceconfigured to provide power to the detector so to operate the detector.13. The device of claim 1, further comprising: an internal memorycoupled directly to the body and operably connected to the detector, theinternal memory operable to store conductance data obtained by thedetector.
 14. The device of claim 11, wherein the body further comprisesone or more tabs, wherein the at least one suture aperture is definedwithin the one or more tabs.
 15. A method for using a device, the methodcomprising the steps of: positioning the device at or near an outside ofan organ of a patient within the patient's body, but not within theorgan or within a lumen of said organ, the device comprising a bodyhaving a detector coupled directly to the body, a power source coupleddirectly to the body and operably connected to the detector, and atleast one detector aperture defined within the body and positionedoutside the detector, the detector comprising a pair of detectionelectrodes and a pair of excitation electrodes, the at least onedetector aperture extending a length from a start of one electrode ofthe pair of detection electrodes or the pair of excitation electrodes toa start of another electrode of the pair of detection electrodes or thepair of excitation electrodes, the power source configured to providepower to the detector so to operate the detector, the at least onedetector aperture sized and shaped to minimize interference that wouldcompromise data obtained by the detector, and the detector configured toboth detect a presence or absence of contents within the lumen of theorgan using impedance and distinguish between any contents detected overtime based on conductance data by obtaining first conductance data whensolid contents are within the lumen, by obtaining second conductancedata when liquid contents are within the lumen, and identifying adifference between the first conductance data and the second conductancedata; and operating the device to detect contents within the lumen ofthe organ and distinguish between any contents detected therein overtime.
 16. The method of claim 15, wherein the operating step isperformed by activating the detector to obtain conductance data, theconductance data indicative of the contents on the lumen of the organ.17. The method of claim 15, wherein the positioning step is performed toposition the device at or near the outside of an organ selected from agroup consisting of a stomach, an intestine, a bladder, a lung, and aheart.
 18. The method of claim 17, wherein the operating step yieldsconductance data from the detector, the conductance data indicative of achange in an amount of a liquid content on the inside of the organ. 19.The method of claim 15, further comprising: administering a therapy tothe patient based upon the contents detected on an inside of the organ.20. A device for detecting organ contents, the device comprising: a bodyhaving a detector, a power source coupled directly to the body andoperably connected to the detector, an internal memory coupled directlyto the body and operably connected to the detector, and a transmittercoupled directly to the body, wherein the body is configured as a patch,the power source is configured to provide power to the detector so tooperate the detector, the internal memory is operable to storeconductance data obtained by the detector, the transmitter operable totransmit conductance data to an external system, and the detectorcomprises a pair of detection electrodes positioned on the body inbetween a pair of excitation electrodes; a pair of detector apertures oneither side of the detector, one detector aperture of the pair ofdetector apertures disposed on a side of the detector, and the otherdetector aperture from the pair of detector apertures disposed onanother side of the detector, each detector aperture of the pair ofdetector apertures defined within the body; each of the detectorapertures extending a length from a start of one electrode of the pairof detection electrodes or the pair of excitation electrodes to a startof another electrode of the pair of detection electrodes or the pair ofexcitation electrodes; the body configured for external placement at ornear an outside of an organ, but not within or surrounding the organ orwithin a lumen thereof, and the detector configured to both detect apresence or absence of contents within the lumen of the organ usingimpedance and distinguish between any contents detected therein overtime based on conductance data by obtaining first conductance data whensolid contents are within the lumen, by obtaining second conductancedata when liquid contents are within the lumen, and identifying adifference between the first conductance data and the second conductancedata; wherein the pair of excitation electrodes are spaced apart fromone another on the body sufficient to generate a field that extends intothe lumen of the organ.